Based in Dallas, TX, Apogee Foods is a natural foods manufacturing partner specializing in snacks, bars, extruded, and dehydrated products. The facility is 100% gluten-free and holds SQF and Kosher certifications, serving quality-conscious brands seeking custom food production.
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Protein Bar Manufacturers
Last updated: January 2026
This directory lists 39 protein bar manufacturers across the United States, from dedicated co-packers specializing in high-volume runs to agile partners offering comprehensive R&D and pilot batch services.
Buyers engage protein bar manufacturers to solve a diverse array of problems, from developing a unique clean label snack that meets specific dietary requirements to scaling production for an existing line experiencing rapid growth. Manufacturers must contend with challenges like optimizing the protein matrix for desired texture, ensuring allergen segregation, and mitigating moisture migration to prevent bars from becoming hard, sticky, or crumbly over time.
The landscape of protein bar manufacturers includes several distinct types. Large-scale co-manufacturers typically focus on high-volume production of established formulas, offering economies of scale but less flexibility for bespoke R&D. Mid-sized co-packers often provide a blend of R&D support and production capacity, ideal for brands looking to iterate on existing products or launch new lines with moderate MOQs. Boutique manufacturers, conversely, specialize in small batches, unique or premium ingredients, and extensive formulation assistance for innovative startups.
Before approaching manufacturers, buyers should meticulously prepare a comprehensive brief including desired nutritional panels, target consumer demographics, preliminary ingredient lists (if available), anticipated sales volumes, and target price points. Suppliers, in turn, will expect clear communication regarding intellectual property, required certifications, and an understanding of their typical MOQs and development timelines for R&D benchwork and commercial scale-up.
Company Directory
39 companies nationwide
Based in Denver, CO, Basecamp Co-Pack is a cold process raw food manufacturer specializing in co-packing services for a variety of products. They produce bars, bites, powdered drink mixes, baking mixes, spices, oatmeal, and dry blends for commercial clients.
Bellisio Foods, Inc. is a food manufacturer with a large facility in Jackson, Ohio, providing production and contract manufacturing services. They create a range of quality food products, including frozen meals, and own nutrition-focused brands like Atkins and Quest.
Based in Centerville, TN, CMS provides custom food manufacturing services, including a dedicated protein bar production line. They produce protein bars, snack bars, and other specialty food items in their 31,000 sq ft facility. With 25 years of experience, CMS offers comprehensive ingredient sourcing and commercial baking capabilities.
Coalition Foods is a contract food manufacturer and private labeler based in Nashville, TN. The company partners with brands to provide product development and manufacturing services for nutrition bars, powders, mixes, and various snacks. They specialize in innovative food solutions for the retail market.
ELIS Manufacturing & Packaging Solutions, based in Kaufman, TX, offers end-to-end contract manufacturing for nutraceuticals and consumables. They specialize in tailored blending, formulation, and precise filling and packaging solutions, guiding products from concept to consumer with a focus on quality and brand specifications.
FoodPharma is a contract developer and manufacturer specializing in functional food delivery systems, including protein bars and soft chews. The company utilizes over a century of confectionery expertise and advanced formulations. They offer custom development, quick-launch solutions, and comprehensive packaging services for innovative nutrition brands.
Based in Charlotte, NC, Golden Grains Baking offers wholesale and co-packing bakery services. The company provides customized solutions for businesses, helping them integrate premium breads into menus and bring various innovative co-packing products to market using their certified and inspected facilities.
Based in Van Alstyne, TX, LACORE™ Nutraceuticals specializes in batch manufacturing for dietary supplements, sports nutrition, and personal care products. They offer comprehensive services including formulation, manufacturing, packaging, and logistics. The company serves brands requiring expert production of their nutritional and wellness product lines.
MaxOut Sport Nutrition Manufacturing specializes in custom sports nutrition supplement production. The company offers low minimum order quantities and custom formulas, ensuring flexibility for brands. They are GMP Compliant, FDA Registered, and manufacture all products in the USA, providing short lead times for diverse supplement needs.
NAI operates as a custom contract manufacturer of nutritional supplements, leveraging a science-based approach to help clients design and produce their nutritional products. They specialize in manufacturing a wide range of supplements, supporting businesses in bringing high-quality items to market.
Based in Anaheim, CA, Nellson is a full-service manufacturer specializing in custom formulation and production of nutritional bars. This includes high-quality vegan protein bars, supported by unparalleled research and development expertise. They ensure product efficacy and consistency for their commercial clients.
Based in Bastrop, TX, Nutrabound® Labs is an NSF-certified contract supplement manufacturer. The company offers turnkey nutraceutical manufacturing services, providing transparency, innovation, and precision to help supplement brands nationwide scale their operations with confidence.
Based in Cato, NY, Nutrition Bar Confectioners is a family-owned company providing nutritional bar production services since 1978. They produce millions of bars annually, offering consistent manufacturing and packaging. The company holds Kosher and Organic certifications, maintaining stringent quality control standards for diverse customers.
Based in Santa Ana, CA, OC Nutra provides co-packing and manufacturing for custom nutritional supplement products. They specialize in creating custom blends of supplements and protein powders, offering services from formulation to filling and packaging for powders, liquids, capsules, and stick packs for brands.
Based in Bethlehem, PA, PennPak Solutions specializes in co-manufacturing protein-packed, energy-boosting, and other nutritional bars. They utilize state-of-the-art technology and industry expertise to craft high-quality bars tailored to specific dietary preferences, focusing on taste and nutritional value. The company also offers powdered supplement manufacturing.
Based in Irving, TX, PreMark Health Science provides contract manufacturing services for nutrition and nutraceutical products. Capabilities include product development, formulation, blending, and supply chain management. They are licensed for food manufacturing, handling dry food mixes, seasonings, powders, capsules, and products for wellness, sport, and pets.
Based in Marietta, GA, Pure Bliss Organics manufactures organic, gluten-free snack bars, bites, granola, and gourmet nuts. They offer co-packing and wholesale services, with bar and bite production volumes ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 units monthly for B2B clients. Their focus is on real, clean food ingredients.
Simpson Labs is a contract manufacturer for the nutritional supplement industry, based in Valencia, CA. They provide finished goods for sport nutrition supplements and general wellness products. The company offers formulation services and proprietary plant-based sweeteners for clients.
Specialty Co Pack, an Ontario, CA-based food co-packer, manufactures various products including bar mixes. They provide R&D, production from scratch, filling, labeling, and packaging services. The company operates under FDA and California Health Department supervision, ensuring high quality and GMP certifications.
Taste of Nature specializes in manufacturing organic snack bars, including fruit and nut bars, dark chocolate bars, and grain-free granola. They focus on delicious, healthy options with high nut content and fiber. The company also provides contract manufacturing and private label services for other brands.
Wella Foods manufactures protein bars, with their Crunchy Peanut Butter Collagen Bar receiving high customer praise. Consumers consistently note its delicious taste, positioning the company as a provider of popular protein bar options within the market.
Based in Fort Worth, TX, Whatever's Healthy specializes in co-packing a diverse range of bars, including protein, energy, sports, and snack bars. They also provide co-packing services for dry powders, such as protein and superfood mixes, and supply healthy ingredients like dried fruits, nuts, superfoods, and natural sweeteners.
Element Bars, Inc. specializes in custom nutrition bar manufacturing, helping brands develop and produce their own protein bar recipes. They offer private label services, support low quantity commitments, and provide gluten-free certifications with 3rd party auditing for businesses seeking quality manufacturing.
Based in Milford, PA, Econo-Pak provides high-volume contract food packaging and co-manufacturing services for commercial clients. They specialize in co-packing protein, granola, and energy bars, offering solutions from procurement to wrapping and cartoning. Econo-Pak's facility is SQF Level 3, FDA, Organic, and Gluten-Free certified.
Based in Dallas, TX, Formulife LLC specializes in 100% custom nutritional and dietary supplement manufacturing for high-growth brands and established businesses. They provide a white-glove service, focusing on innovative R&D, responsive client support, and scalable production capabilities from concept to final product.
Based in Farmington, UT, INW offers contract manufacturing for the nutrition and wellness market, specifically sports nutrition. They provide R&D, production, and packaging services for diverse product forms, including liquids, gels, creams, shake mixes, capsules, and tablets, utilizing a scalable infrastructure.
Based in Downers Grove, IL, Maker's Pride is a contract food and packaging manufacturer. They specialize in creating protein, granola, and snack bars, offering over 600 product options. Services span R&D, product optimization, market strategy, and logistics, guiding high-quality, innovative items from concept to consumer shelf.
Sterling Foods, based in San Antonio, TX, is a food manufacturer specializing in custom baked goods and shelf-stable snack solutions. They provide contract manufacturing for energy bars, snack bars, cookies, and other bakery items, serving retail, foodservice, and private label customers.
Ventura Foods is a Brea, CA-based company that offers diversified product development services. Their team helps clients deliver new food products or improve existing ones, aiming for on-target results. As a food producer, they likely provide comprehensive manufacturing capabilities for various food categories, potentially including protein bars.
Based in Marion, OH, Wyandot Snacks is a custom snack food manufacturer. The company partners with leading, emerging, and private label brands to create exciting plant-based, grain-based, and better-for-you snacks. They focus on quality and innovation to develop high-quality products.
Based in Youngstown, OH, Barfections offers contract bar manufacturing, recipe development, and packaging assistance. The company specializes in crafting delicious, nutritious bars, utilizing its ownership group's over 75 years of combined experience in the food industry, particularly in bar production.
Skout Organic produces organic, plant-based protein bars and kids' bars. Their products are made with only a few simple ingredients, emphasizing taste and being gluten-free. They focus on providing healthy and delicious snack options for consumers.
Based in Dallas, TX, Divine Design Manufacturing offers comprehensive supplement manufacturing services. They specialize in sports nutrition and weight loss supplements, providing tailored production solutions for businesses. As a B2B partner, they focus on producing high-quality health and wellness products.
Master Food Labs specializes in custom formulation and advanced manufacturing of protein bars, tailored to brand specifications. They offer private label services, research and development, and brand building for clients. Their capabilities include scalable production of protein bars and other baked goods.
Based in El Paso, TX, Mount Franklin Foods is a contract and private label manufacturer of packaged goods. They specialize in a broad range of product categories including nutritional bars, offering solutions for protein, granola, energy, and meal replacement bars, alongside candy and other snack products.
Outright Bar manufactures a range of protein bars, including popular flavors and plant-based vegan options, in its state-of-the-art GMP facility in the United States. The company emphasizes whole-food ingredients, taste, and digestibility in its product formulations.
Tandem Foods, LLC is a contract manufacturer specializing in better-for-you nutritional snacks and functional foods. Based in St. Charles, MO, the company offers comprehensive services from concept to commercialization, utilizing its state-of-the-art facility for products like granola, snack bars, energy bites, and cereals.
Based in Monterey Park, CA, YouBar specializes in the co-manufacturing and private label production of nutrition bars, energy bars, and protein bars. They offer comprehensive development and production services for diet book authors, nutritionists, and other brands.
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How to Choose a Company
- Evaluate their R&D capabilities, specifically their experience in engineering a stable protein matrix with your chosen protein source (whey, plant-based, etc.) and their ability to conduct R&D benchwork to refine texture, flavor, and macronutrient targets.
- Verify their scale-up process: Do they have a clear pathway from pilot batches (500-5,000 bars) to commercial production (50,000+ bars)? Inquire about typical lead times and costs associated with each stage, as these differ significantly.
- Scrutinize their certifications relevant to your target market. For sports nutrition, demand NSF Sport certification. For broad appeal, look for USDA Organic, Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), Kosher, Halal, or Non-GMO Project Verified, alongside robust food safety standards like SQF or BRC.
- Confirm their specific processing capabilities: Do they specialize in extruded bars (dense, chewy) or slab-cut bars (layering, inclusions)? Some manufacturers excel in enrobing (chocolate coating) or have dedicated cooling tunnels for specific textures, which directly impacts your product's final form and mouthfeel.
- Beware of manufacturers who promise quick turnaround on highly complex or novel formulations without extensive R&D benchwork. A common red flag is a lack of rigorous shelf-life stability testing or a vague strategy for mitigating moisture migration, which can lead to rapid product degradation.
- Assess their flexibility with Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) and their willingness to partner with brands at different stages. Startups require lower MOQs and more R&D support, while larger brands need assurance of high-volume capacity, dedicated lines, and a robust Quality Management System (QMS) aligned with FDA cGMP.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the typical Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) for protein bar manufacturing?
MOQs vary significantly depending on the manufacturer's size, equipment, and whether you're pursuing R&D benchwork or commercial production. For a brand new formulation, expect pilot runs from 500-5,000 units. Commercial production MOQs typically start at 25,000-50,000 bars per SKU, but can exceed 100,000 for large-scale operations. It's crucial to discuss this early, as lower MOQs often come with higher per-unit costs or require working with smaller, more specialized co-packers.
How do manufacturers prevent protein bars from becoming too sticky or crumbly over time?
Manufacturers combat common issues like stickiness or crumbliness through careful protein matrix formulation and process control. This involves selecting appropriate humectants (like glycerin or tapioca fiber) to control moisture migration, optimizing ingredient ratios to bind fats and proteins effectively, and precision control of extrusion or slab-cutting temperatures and cooling tunnel profiles. Rigorous shelf-life stability testing, often with accelerated aging, is essential to confirm the bar's textural integrity over its intended lifespan.
What's the difference between extruded and slab-cut protein bars, and which is right for my product?
Extruded protein bars are formed by forcing a viscous dough through a die, resulting in a dense, uniform bar with a chewy texture. This method is efficient for high volumes and simpler formulations. Slab-cut bars involve sheeting a dough and then cutting it into individual bars, allowing for more complex layering, visible inclusions (like nuts or fruit pieces), and often a softer, more artisanal texture. The choice depends on your desired texture, ingredient profile, and aesthetic goals. Your manufacturer's R&D team can advise based on your formulation.
Beyond basic food safety, what specific certifications are critical for protein bar manufacturers?
For protein bars, critical certifications include NSF Sport (for products targeting athletes, ensuring no banned substances), USDA Organic (if using organic ingredients), GFCO (Gluten-Free Certification Organization) for celiac-safe products, and Kosher or Halal certifications for specific dietary markets. Manufacturers should also hold robust food safety management system certifications like SQF (Safe Quality Food) or BRC (British Retail Consortium), indicating adherence to international best practices in food production and quality.
Will a manufacturer help with my protein bar formulation, or do I need a finished recipe?
Many protein bar manufacturers offer extensive R&D benchwork and formulation assistance. This can range from optimizing an existing recipe for commercial scale-up and shelf stability to developing an entirely new concept based on your target nutritional profile and ingredient preferences. Pure co-packing services, on the other hand, typically require a fully developed, validated recipe. It's vital to clarify the level of R&D support offered and associated development fees upfront, especially for startups with innovative ideas.